If there is one thing that 19-year-old Nathan Hendricks enjoys, it is pushing his body to the limit.

He is in the Tuks swimming pool most mornings and afternoons, swimming lap after lap. Training for three hours plus a day is nothing to him.

As the saying goes, hard work pays off. Last year, Hendricks represented South Africa in the swimming pool at the Paralympic Games in Paris. Hendricks was in action in four finals. A definite highlight was his African record in the 200-meter individual medley.

The Games in Paris were an eye-opener for the young man.

“I realised that to win a medal in the 2028 Games, I would have to work much harder. My backstroke technique is not what it should be, nor is my underwater technique. That’s why I decided to come to Tuks. Their swimming program is one of the best. The results of Tuks’ swimmers speak for themselves. I also want to start studying next year,” he explained.

Hendricks was only eight months old when he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Then, at the age of 12, Nathan was diagnosed with Stargardt disease – macular dystrophy, a genetic eye disorder that causes progressive vision loss, mainly affecting central vision loss.

“Stargardt has nothing to do with my diabetes. It is genetic. However, uncontrolled glucose levels can cause further damage, but I’m proud to say that my ophthalmologist says there is no sign of diabetic damage. Unfortunately, there is no cure or current treatment for Stargardt disease,” he said during a recent interview.

Hendricks is not one for self-pity. He decided early on that he would not let diabetes and Stargadt disease get him down.

“The fact that I lost sight was not the end of the world. It brought me closer to my parents. I also believe God gave it to me for a reason, so I will find that reason. To me, it will always be about finding something you love and pursuing it to the fullest you can. That is the only way you can live life,” was his philosophical analysis of the situation.

According to Hendricks, swimming was not always his favourite sport.

“I used to play blind cricket up to 2019. I never really could bat. I could bowl because before my eyesight became what it has, I still could determine what was what. I used to tell myself I knew I was looking at the wicket but could not anymore, he remarked.

Hendricks switched to swimming because of the eye disease. When he joined a swimming club in Middelburg, there were girls younger than him who swam faster. The turning point was when he went to training camp in 2021.

“I have never trained as hard. Up until then, I had never trained for two hours. I loved getting my heart rate up and pushing myself to the limit,” he concluded.

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